Delectable Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles with Enticing Coatings

Apparently I'm on a bite-size confection roll, literally!  When I recently picked up a jar of dark chocolate peanut butter, I didn't know what I'd make with it; but, for sure, I knew that it would be something for my peanut butter-loving son-in-law!  After a few ideas, I elected to develop a truffle recipe to give him for Father's Day.  Well, those empty paper cups, which occurred in a short amount of time, were a true testament that he loved these melt-in-your-mouth treats!

You know that I will experiment with a variety of options when developing some of my recipes.  I chose to enhance these confections with complementary coatings of cocoa, powdered sugar, crushed kettle jalapeno and regular potato chips and chopped peanuts.   I'm not sure if I have a favorite embellishment for this candy (unless, it's the crushed salted potato chips)...they're all scrumptious!  The jalapeno potato chip coating will provide just a slight surprise bite of heat; and the regular kettle potato chip coating will offer a delightful, more salty crunch to the truffles.

To make the candy sticky for better adherence of the peanut and potato chip coatings, the truffles will need to be first rolled in a mixture of cocoa powder and kosher sea salt and allowed to rest for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Salt is not added to those rolled only in cocoa powder or powdered sugar.

Though these delicious truffles make an elegant presentation, they are actually made using a simple technique and humble ingredients.  Therefore, they make a great recipe project for children; so get those little hands going and let them do the rolling!

                                        

                                                Embellished with...

                                                Enticing Coatings...

Decadent Chocolate-Banana Bonbons with A Variety of Coatings ~ How-To Tips and Tricks!

These decadent chocolate-dipped banana bites with crunchy coatings make a fun treat or a marvelous party bonbon.  I've offered a variety of suggested coatings; however, you can be creative with your own coatings.  My favorite coating, of the ones I've tried, was the crushed cashews!

A recently diagnosed low potassium level prompted me to give it a boost with bananas.  All that other fruit I'd been eating, along with those horse-sized potassium pills, were just not enough!  Since I find eating bananas, outside of baked goods, not very appealing, I thought chocolate-dipped banana slices would be encouraging.  These chocolate-banana bonbons are encouraging all right...but so decadent, I can only eat one or two at a time.  Guess I'll save these as a treat and just eat bananas on my cereal, which is my second choice.

This chocolate-dipping and coating method should work well with whole strawberries also.


                                             Decadent Decisions...

                                      Which One Should I Try First?

Craving Crunchy Orange Chicken ~ Crowned with Crispy Green Onions and Toasted Almonds ~Asian Inspired

Do you ever have a craving for orange chicken...like Panda Express'?  I love their orange chicken; so when I originally found this recipe on the internet, I was excited to make it.  Though I wouldn't say this is exactly like Panda Express' orange chicken (as the original recipe suggested), this Asian-inspired chicken is sure to satisfy your craving with its crunchy tempura-like batter, true orange flavor and crispy green onion and toasted almond toppings.  With this recipe, you can enjoy orange chicken takeout at home by taking it right out of your own oven with easily accessible ingredients.

Panda Express' orange chicken does have a little more heat than I like, so I adjusted the amount of red pepper flakes from the original recipe.  Of course, if you prefer more heat, you can add more red pepper flakes, or you can just omit the red pepper flakes altogether.  Like I generally do, I made quite a few changes to the original recipes...including increasing the orange flavor with the addition of navel orange pieces.  I preferred the more obvious flavor of navel orange pieces over mandarin orange segments.

As I typically do, I've tried to eliminate any guess work and be as thorough as possible with the directions.  I often say that I write a recipe as though my daughter were standing beside me.          

                                                 It's Take Out...

                                       I Took It Out Of The Oven!

Pepper Jack Cheese Hamburger Skillet Pie with Triple Cheddar Cheese and Jalapeno Cornbread Topping

Not your typical hamburger pie, this one is crowned with a cozy cornbread topping that has a moist interior with a crunchy top.  The triple Cheddar cheese and jalapeno cornbread topping perfectly complements the slightly peppery ground beef base.

Though this dish isn't extremely peppery; if you have any family members who are a little pepper-skittish, of course you can omit the jalapenos from the cornbread topping and substitute the pepper jack cheese with Cheddar or Colby Jack cheese.

You and yours will enjoy this hamburger skillet pie as a satisfying and comforting weeknight meal.  I've also provided directions for using the topping recipe for an 8" or 10" skillet of just cornbread.

                                             It's Kinda Like A...

                                     Hamburger Skillet Pot Pie!     
                             

Indescribably Delicious Cherry Pie with Sour Cream

Oh boy, this scrumptious pie was a big hit at my son's recent birthday!  He loves cherry desserts, and I opted for this incredibly delicious, yet easy pie. 

I used frozen pitted dark, sweet whole cherries, rather than the tart cherries as recommended in the original recipe.  I did not adjust the sugar for the sweet cherries, and the pie was terrific.  So either sweet or tart cherries should work with the same amount of sugar as specified in the original recipe.  It should also be very good with other fruits, such as strawberries or blueberries...oh, I'll be experimenting with other fruits in this recipe!

It's supposed to be refrigerated before it's cut; but I didn't, since I wanted to photo before the birthday get-together.  However, it does slice better refrigerated.

This pie has an almost cake-like topping...one person described the flavor as similar to a cheesecake.  It's tempting to say it has a custard-like topping, but this recipe has too much flour for that.  Anyway you describe it, it's fantastic!

I included a link with great directions for cutting foil to cover the edges of the pie to prevent over-browning.  At one time I used a pie tape...is that made any more, or what is your preferred method?

I know you and yours will love this pie as much as we did!
                                
                                     The Topping Is Kind of Cake Like....

                                           Maybe Like Cheesecake?

Luscious Lemon Layer Cake with Creamy Strawberry Frosting

Spring has sprung, and it's time for strawberry desserts...you know my daughter loves them!  The last one I made for her was a couple of years ago for her birthday (my Strawberries In Rose Cake with Lemon Glaze).  Although everyone loved it, I thought I'd try something a little different for her birthday this year.

With no time for experimenting, I needed a reliable recipe.  I simply added fresh lemon juice and zest to one of my favorite pound cakes...my versatile evaporated milk pound cake.  This produced a wonderful moist, dense and lemony cake, which easily sliced into three layers.  Using my trusted butter cream frosting as a basis, I developed a creamy strawberry frosting.

This cake actually improves with flavor after a couple of days.  You can make it ahead and refrigerate or freeze, then decorate and garnish with strawberry slices the day you serve it.

                                   Hey, Watch Those Fingers There...

                                     I Haven't Even Served It Yet!